Red Thread of Fate
by xButterBitchx
Summary: Human!High School!AU. Denmark X Norway. Lukas and Matthias are secret best friends, something forgotten over the years. With the help of "meeting again" and a certain Japanese legend, they might just remember.
1. Chapter 1: Rhythm

**A/N: Sorry if you thought I discontinued this story, I just wanted to redo it. Well, sorry for the wait and here it is! I don't own Hetalia. Read and review, please! ^ ^**

** Rhythm: **Noun; A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

People tend to have different opinions on the true definition of "art". Most commonly, it's music or painting. Yes, I am a violinist. But what about writing?

Not your ordinary story making or creative writing-no. I am an author, a poet, a lyricist, whatever you want to call it. There is a difference, though, between normal writers and…me.

I tell my stories on my skin.

Words or marks, whichever I feel like creating. Sometimes brief phrases. Usually, they end up being negative. As a result, there is barely an unblemished patch of skin on my body.

I am pondering all of this while sitting in English, tapping my pencil against the blank notebook paper in front of me. How was I supposed to draft an essay on the book we were reading-Beowulf, not bad at all-in less than 500 words?

You see, I'm the kind of person who doesn't appreciate limits. It's like placing a claustrophobic person inside a small box. Uncomfortable. I would much rather construct a piece of writing like this with as many words included as I fancied.

At that moment, I felt something-or rather, someone-poke my arm rather sharply. Turning to my right, I saw the offender.

Gravity-defying, spiky, flaxen hair. Bright blue eyes the color of an azure summer sky. He looked to be about my age, 17; maybe a month or so older. Surely he was from some part of Scandinavia. Denmark, perhaps?

"Got a pencil I could borrow?" the blonde asked. He had come unequipped for class.

Wordlessly, I slipped an extra pencil out of my pencil case and handed it to him. His fingers stayed curled around the pencil a tad too long, and he seemed to be studying me closely. When I looked at him a second time, I noticed he looked a little familiar.

"You look like someone I used to know from long ago," he half-whispered. Half because we were still in class; really, he just wasn't the kind of person who had a quiet voice.

I raised an eyebrow. "Pot calling the kettle black. You appear familiar, too," I responded.

The Dane's only response was a sheepish grin. "Maybe we've met somewhere before. Like fate, y'know?"

The idea of this made me snort. "You are a fool." I always remembered faces I'd seen before; not that I didn't believe in fate. I was quite the superstitious person.

"Yeah, and you're interesting," he answered. "I think being friends with you would be pretty fun!"

Interesting? That was a new one. I usually received things along the lines of "mysterious, weird, girly" and such.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by that voice again. "So our friendship begins with me asking you for a pencil," the blonde Dane remarked nonchalantly. "What a way to start."

"And you're not even using it," I shot back, noting how he was just absentmindedly twirling the borrowed utensil between his fingers. Nice hands. He could play piano. "Why are you deeming us 'friends' now, anyway?"

The Danish boy threw down the pencil. "'Cuz I want us to be that-friends," he stated simply. Then he blinked. "Oh yeah, I never got your name. Mine's Matthias, Matthias Køhler!"

"Lukas Bondevik," I replied.

As Matthias opened his mouth to speak further, the school bell rang. He jumped up, waiting for me to do the same, and cracked his back. "Ah, finally, 6th period is over! What do you have last period?"

"Study Hall." I figured I could use the period to finish most of my homework.

This made Matthias's face break into a wide grin. "Hey, me too! Let's sit next to each other, yeah?" he exclaimed.

People were filing in. I rolled my eyes and turned, sitting in a far corner of the room. However, Matthias just followed, sitting next to me. I tried pulling out my MP3 player and earbuds, to show him I wanted to be left alone, but the damned fool wasn't going to give up. His mouth moved as if he was speaking, but I couldn't hear him. I pulled out one earbud. "What?"

"I said, what are you listening to?" he repeated, cheerful demeanor remaining unfailing.

"Just some Owl City music."

Without warning, the blonde Dane plucked a single earbud out of my ear and plugged it into his. I blushed, lightly noticing that this action caused our faces to have to come closer, so that the cord would not stretch out too much.

If Matthias noticed this, he gave no signs at all. Maybe he was just really oblivious. He just closed his eyes, soaking in the music. There was a reason I liked Owl City so much. The melodies and lyrics blended together perfectly in each song, like meteors and stray stars caught inside shimmering galaxies. It was like the songs put you into a reverie you never wanted to wake up from.

I peered at this boy closely as the tune of Speed of Love carried on. He looked content, like he was enjoying the music. I certainly wouldn't have expected that from someone like him.

Then again, I'd known him for only a little over an hour, approximately.

He caught me glancing at him and smiled warmly. Not a cocky grin or smirk like he'd worn earlier; this was a genuine smile of cheer and…affection?

No, that must have just been my imagination.

Huffing, I turned my head away pointedly, hoping he hadn't seen the ballerina pink roses starting to bloom in my cheeks. Why was I acting so strange all of a sudden?

The rest of study hall stretched out with everyone else chattering except for us. How could we ruin the flawlessly flowing rhythm of the music in our ears with conversation? Eventually, though, it ended It was time to pack up and go home.

~~_Page Break~~_

I walked on home with a sigh, wondering why in the world I'd agreed to go over to Matthias's house after school?

The weather was fairly agreeable. It was spring. American springs certainly felt different from those back in my old home; a fine layer of leftover snow still frosted the cold sidewalks like icing to a cake, and tiny buds were trying to push through to the pale sunlight. The most striking thing I noticed, though, was that the color of Matthias's eyes matched the sky's hue.

A warm breeze rifled through my hair, lifting the ends briefly before they settled back down again. "So why exactly did you invite me to your house again?" I mumbled.

"I invited you because that's what friends do. Even if they've only known each other for less than 24 hours," came the carefree response.

I quickened my pace a bit, trying to keep up with Matthias's strides. "What are we going to do, anyway?" I queried.

Matthias blinked and shrugged, without ceasing his footsteps forward. I crossed my arms. "Are you saying you dragged me along without even coming up with a plan for what we're going to do over there?" I asked incredulously.

"Aw, come on, Luke!" I raised an eyebrow at this nickname. "I'm sure we'll figure it out once we're there!" he complained.

"Idiot," I muttered. "And don't call me 'Luke'."

"Why not?" Matthias trilled. "It's fitting and cute. Luke~"

"I am not cute!" My face flushed.

In the middle of our bickering, we'd reached Matthias's house. He pulled out a house key and twisted it into the door's lock, opening it with a click. Pushing open the door and walking inside, he looked back at me. "Do you live alone, too?"

Slightly taken aback, I shook my head. "I live with one other person-my little brother, Emil," I responded. "He's 15."

The interior of Matthias's house was actually quite pleasant. Very Scandinavian, judging by all the Danish furniture in the living room. Even this place also seemed familiar. "You must be a proud and loyal Dane, huh?" I remarked, crossing and recrossing my arms. I tried to push away the nagging thoughts and confusion.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" the spiky-haired boy asked.

I gave him the tiniest of smirks. "Intuition."  
I was led up the winding staircase to Matthias's bedroom. It was fairly large, done in blacks and reds; a combo that suited a vivacious person like him. "So what about you, what's your ethnicity?" the Dane asked, sitting down cross-legged in the middle of the floor.

"Well," I began, leaning against the doorframe. "Mainly Norwegian, a little bit of Icelandic. My brother got the stronger side of the Icelandic blood, though." It was true; I had Prussian blue eyes and pale blonde hair. Emil had more silvery hair, with mysterious amethyst eyes.

"Very cool," Matthias said, genuinely interested. "Can I ask about…your family?"

I hesitated. My family hadn't exactly been typical. The scars on my arms burned, and I instinctively tugged down on my long sleeves. In truth, Emil and I had been abused by our father. The physical punishment had always come down upon me, though; there was no way I'd let that man hurt my little brother.

What hurt the most, however, had been the fact that my mother never once lifted a finger against our father. She never bothered to protect us. Just acted like nothing was wrong and tried to take care of us. I pushed her "love" away, though; it wasn't real. I didn't truly love anyone but my little brother. After some time, they had both died, and Emil and I moved to America. Our grandfather back in Norway financially supported us, so there were no worries.

Maybe it would be the biggest mistake of my life, but somehow in my heart I trusted Matthias, so I told him my entire story. Minus the cutting part.

I sighed when I finished. Matthias's eyes were wide as saucers, and he was silent for a few moments. "Wow," he finally managed to get out. "Quite the story."

"Don't try to offer pity or sympathy to me," I warned. "It's not what I'm looking for."

Matthias ran a hand through his hair, glancing at me seriously for once. "I won't. This is gonna sound cheesy, but…I'm always here for ya, okay?" He flashed me his trademark Matthias grin, as I'd began calling it.

Blinking once, embarrassment rushed through me. "Yeah, okay," I mumbled, wondering why he cared so much. The next thing he did startled me. Matthias stood up and gave me a light hug. I could only stand shocked, stiff as a board, though I didn't push him away.

It felt good, having someone care.

After that weighty moment, we proceeded to play Call of Duty until 5:00 P.M. Matthias kicked my ass at that game, I will admit.

~~Page Break~~

Opening the door to my house, I called out a tired but otherwise happy "I'm home". Emil immediately ran down the stairs to greet me. He seemed to be in a good mood; a rare occurrence. Hugging me, he asked, "Where have you been all day?"

"At a friend's house." It wasn't easy to hide the light blush on my face as I recalled the hug Matthias had given me.

Emil looked at me quizzically. I knew why; after the incidents with our parents, I had never trusted anyone easily. Not wanting to have prodding questions aimed at me from my little brother, I walked past him and up to my room.

After taking a shower and finishing whatever work I had, I laid in bed thinking. Why was I acting so strange around Matthias? Would he notice? Why was I even worrying over this? We were just friends, and nothing more. Groaning, I pushed my face into the pillow and tried to convince myself of this fact.

Eventually I fell asleep to the rhythm of my troubled heart and the crickets' song outside.


	2. Chapter 2: Recognition

**A/N: So how'd you like it? O3O I'm trying to become a better writer. Welp, here's the next chapter. Don't worry, you'll get your good stuff soon. –w- *****noms on Danish butter cookies* On with the story! I don't own Hetalia. Read/Review!**

** Recognize: **Verb; Identify (someone or something) from having encountered them before; know again.

For the next few weeks leading into the beginning of summer, I hung out at Matthias's house after school every day. Needless to say, I was becoming a bit attached to him. I'm sure he'd love to hear that from me.

Here it was, 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, and I had made plans to visit a certain Dane. This time he had a plan of action; we were going to go get ice cream, and then generally hang out. I walked to Matthias's house, wearing long sleeves and jeans even though it was getting warmer. The humid air clung to me like bees to honey. Surely, though, my best friend would shun me and turn away if he knew what I was really like.

When I reached his home, I didn't even have to knock-he flung open the door with so much enthusiasm I was surprised it didn't break.

"Luke, you're finally here!" he shouted. I had long since given up trying to dissuade him from calling me 'Luke'; Matthias was a stubborn guy.

My Danish friend was clad in a bright red T-shirt-think of all the red items in the world mixed together, that's how bright it was-with a sleeveless black hoodie layered on top of it. Paired with black skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a little black hat on the side of his head, he looked…hot. There really wasn't a better term.

Wasting no time, Matthias locked the door shut behind him with one hand and tugged on my wrist with the other. Pulling me forward, he led the way down the sidewalk. "So why exactly aren't we just taking your car to this place?" I questioned. "It would be a lot faster."

"Maybe so, but walking next to a person is better!" he responded. "It also means I can do this." With a slight smirk, he laced his fingers through my slender ones.

I tried to keep a straight, stoic expression, but inside, my heart was racing.

We continued towards the ice cream shop, with Matthias chattering about trivial things the whole time, but I couldn't concentrate. It was as if as soon as he threaded his fingers through mine, I became hyperaware of it. I felt queer inside, and for the first time, the word "love" had a bona fide positive connotation for me.

~~_Page Break~~_

As we sat on a park bench, I licked my vanilla ice cream cone absentmindedly. I stopped when Matthias poked me sharply in the arm. Trying not to wince-he'd poked a scar-I turned to him. "Yes?"

He gestured towards my cold treat. "I wanna try some of that," he declared. I snorted, crossing my legs.

"You have your own lemon-flavored one, don't mooch off of mine." I continued licking, ignoring him.

He took me by surprise, grabbing hold of my occupied hand to keep it in place, and then nabbing the dessert. With a victorious smirk, he tasted my ice cream right where my tongue had been.

Wasn't that an indirect kiss?

"Tsk"ing, I smacked his arm and glared at him. "Planning to give that back anytime soon?"

Unfazed, Matthias simply handed his lemon ice cream over to me. In retrospect, lemon wasn't that bad. I took it and began eating it.

The Dane had finished his-sorry, _my-_treat in record time. "We still have plenty of time, should we just go over to my place again?" he offered.

There wasn't really anything better to do. It still wasn't warm enough to go to the beach. "I suppose," I consented.

As we made our way back down the route we'd come from, I noticed Matthias wasn't reaching for my hand this time. A sense of…disappointment rolled through me like a miniature wave lapping at a beach's shore. I didn't know why I wanted it, but I darted my own hand out and wrapped it around his.

He blinked, and his face filled with surprise, albeit not a bad kind. Glancing down at our hands, a smile formed on Matthias's face.

"Don't get any ideas," I warned, trying to save face. "I just…wanted to do this a bit, is all."

"You could have just asked, I don't mind in the slightest~" the blonde Dane teased. And that was how we walked home.

~~_Page Break~~_

It seemed my speculations from the first day of meeting Matthias were correct. At his house, there was a good-sized cherrywood piano, courtesy of his parents back in Denmark. Good music was one of my weaknesses. I found myself wondering if Matthias would want to hear me playing violin, then dismissed the thought. Audiences were not to my liking.

While Matthias was getting a drink of water in the kitchen, I brushed my fingers over the piano. Hitting a key, a sweet sound was emitted from it. I never learned how to play piano, but listening to it was enough.

Matthias emerged from the kitchen, wiping his mouth free of remaining droplets. He saw me eyeing the instrument, and moved to seat himself on the playing bench. Fluttering his fingers over a few keys to warm up, he looked up at me. "Any requests?"

I knew exactly what would sound amazing on piano; a certain song from my favorite book/movie series.

"Do you know any songs from Lord of the Rings?" I inquired. Never would I grow tired of that line of books.

Matthias pursed his lips, thinking. "I think I know one of them," he responded. "I remember trying to learn it when I was crazy about that series."

He stretched out his fingers, then settled down comfortably, ready to play. His hands hit the keys perfectly, producing beautiful sounds. Within seconds, I recognized the song he was playing-Concerning Hobbits.

I leaned against the side of the piano gently, observing his fingers gliding like tiny, lithe birds over a sea of white and black, guided by the wind of musical notes. He certainly wasn't top-notch like that Roderich guy, but his playing wasn't terrible. I found myself enjoying it.

When he finished with a flourish, he grinned up at me. "What'd you think?"

For perhaps the first time, I let my expressionless façade come down and smiled brightly. "It was lovely," I responded, still testing out this feeling of a smile upon my face. It had been forever since I smiled.

He clapped his hands once, in joy. "Alright!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Next time, I should hear you play your instrument! What do you play, anyway?"

His childish excitement was endearing. "Oh, I just play the violin."

Some sort of strange look entered his eyes; confusion? I wondered if it was because I'd told him about my violin playing. But what did that have to do with anything? "Are your alright?" I asked.

Just as soon as it came, the expression was gone, like a ray of light on a wintry day. It was replaced by a Matthias grin. "Oh yeah, don't worry about me, Luke!" was his ever-cheerful response.

I decided to shrug it off. Suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind. "Would you like to meet Emil?" I asked Matthias, remembering that they hadn't spoken yet.

"Hey, that would be cool!"

With that, we stepped back outside, me leading the way to my house. I wondered what Emil and Matthias would think of each other.


	3. Chapter 3: Memory

**A/N: Once again, hey! I'll just skip the formalities and blah blah blah. I don't own Hetalia in any way, read and review please!**

** Memory: **Noun; The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.

"Emil, your big brother is home," I called out as soon as I walked into my house. Such was the daily routine I always followed.

There was a clambering sound, and then a silvery head poked out from the top of the staircase. "I told you, I'm not calling you big br-" My younger brother's sentence was cut off as he noticed who was standing next to me-none other than Matthias. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he darted down the stairs. "Is that your friend?" he inquired. It sounded more like an interrogation.

Matthias smirked and ruffled Emil's hair, causing him to squirm. "Yep, the name's Matthias!" he replied, introducing himself.

I stood back and watched this queer exchange. At least they _seemed _to get along.

Seeming uncomfortable, Emil retreated back to his room, presumably to text that Chinese teenager Kaoru. They seemed to be getting closer lately.

"Well, Emil seems like a good guy to me!" Matthias concluded. He only noticed the good in everyone, didn't he?

I rolled my eyes. "You were probably annoying him, which is why he went back upstairs."

"I see!" My comment went unnoticed.

The Dane wandered over to my couch, spreading out lazily on it. "You know what you should do, Luke?" he brought up randomly.

Warily, I glanced at him. "What?"

"Play the violin!"

I looked away. Again, it had also been a while since I'd last played my violin. What if Matthias thought it was horrid. My apathetic façade broke for a second, and I anxiously toyed with the ends of my bangs.

Matthias saw me debating his request and looked at me with big, pleading puppy dog eyes. "Pretty please?" he begged.

"Well…"

"_PLEEEAAASEEE?"_

"Ugh, fine! Just hold on."

I disappeared upstairs to my room, quickly locating my violin case propped against my dresser. Gingerly, I took the old violin out of its hiding place, tracing the curly inscriptions that chased each other on the wooden design.

Carefully, I walked back down the stairs, holding my treasure. I didn't want to stumble and break it; my-and Emil's-grandfather had given it to me as my 13th birthday gift. Matthias's eyes lit up when he noticed what I had in my arms. "Yay, you're really going to play?" he cried out excitedly.

I still stayed quiet; I needed to remember the notes to my chosen song. As I rosined my bow, I glanced over towards the coffee table and noticed a framed photograph.

Squinting at it, I could make out two figures, both small blonde boys in their kid years. One had a defiant, mischievous grin, arms wrapped around the second boy, who reminded me of someone…

…Me.

My eyes widened slightly. I finally understood and remembered everything. It was Matthias and I as children in that picture, a fleeting childhood that had dissipated after Emil and I moved to America. Was this why Matthias had been so eager to make friends with me, or was he just ludicrously oblivious to the fact that it was me after all these years?

I'd give him until the end of my song to figure out.

With a strange surge of confidence, I struck the first string, beginning my song. A song of friendship, of countless escapades, watching the sun rise in the early hours when it was only us awake, going lingonberry-picking in the summer, fighting and then making up, of a bond that had the potential to become something more.

"_Years ago, when I was younger, I kinda liked a boy I knew,"_ I sang, my voice strong and raised, like a flag waving in the breeze. The violin felt so comfortable beneath my chin.

I kept my eyes trained on Matthias's face as I zealously brushed the strings back and forth with my bow. It wasn't as if I needed to watch the violin; I knew the notes and lyrics by heart.

His pleased face morphed into an expression befitting shock. I saw his surprised blue eyes flit over to said photograph for a fraction of a second; then, he took in my face more intently than he had the first day of "meeting" me.

I ended the melody gracefully, setting the instrument down on the table. _How did I not notice that picture before? _I wondered. Looking at him, only one word could escape my lips. "Matthias," I said, hopeful undertones lining my voice slightly. Was that look on his face remembrance or just incredulity at my performance? I'll let you guess which choice I opted for.

He stepped towards me, hesitating for a bit, as if I were an apparition. The next moment, I was wrapped up in a crushing hug. "It's been too long, too long," he lamented sentimentally, burying his face into my neck.

I patted his back gently, my variant of feeling the same emotions. "It has been," was my quiet response. "Were you in Denmark the entire time I was gone?"

A small nod against my shoulder. "I missed you so much, Luke, you don't even know."

Normally I'd regard this scene as cheesy, but I was honest-to-goodness moved. Never had I thought I'd once again meet the boy who, until now, existed only in my memories. My heart gained speed with each minute that the embrace lasted. _I don't want to let go._

I could almost believe everything was perfect. School life was going well, I had my old friend Matthias back in my life, and I hadn't cut for a lengthy time now.

We were spending more time now, trying to catch up. One morning on the weekend, I laid in bed lazily. Don't get me wrong, I am an early riser. But even I like to lounge around sometimes.

On the nightstand next to me, my phone vibrated. Muttering profanities about how I was still sleepy, I blindly reached over to grab it. Staring at the screen, my eyes finally focused; one new message.

_Yo, I heard there was meteor shower going on tonight! Why don't we watch it from the park?_

Three guesses who _that _was from.

Back before Emil and I moved to America, I remember our parents would barely ever allow us to go visit Matthias. They were overbearing, especially our father; much different from Matthias's parents, who were affectionate and lenient. Two things my parents were not. Mother always fretted over us excessively. It was annoying.

Strict parents create sneaky children. Whenever we could, Matthias and I would sneak out to meet, crossing the borders of Sweden and Finland to rendezvous somewhere in the middle. Oftentimes I'd bring Emil along, too. There was a meadow clearing adjacent to a forest; that was our special place. It was so very, very radiant. We were able to keep this up until my parents died, which was when the big decision to move to America arose. Since America did not offer many beautiful sceneries, the park close to our houses would have to do. At least there was a forest. Close, yet far.

Agonizingly slowly-I was still bleary from my slumber-I tapped out a response. Astronomy was one of my biggest interests; who would I be to pass up the chance to see meteors?

Rolling onto my stomach, I chided myself and decided I should probably get out of bed. Daily routine, brush teeth, go downstairs, drink coffee and eat breakfast, tease Emil to call me "big brother". The last part seldom worked.

My little brother was already fed and dressed, seemingly going somewhere. Someone had to be responsible, and I had been taking better care of Emil on our own than our parents ever had.

"Where are you headed off to?" I inquired, fixing my stare on the silver-haired boy.

I was met with a purple gaze full of defensiveness and slyness. Maybe a bit of mischief. "Just out somewhere with Kaoru," he replied cryptically.

"Where?" I repeated. "I don't want you causing trouble, little brother."

That was what shook Emil up. "Don't call me that," he snapped angrily. "You don't need to be so protective of me! I can do just fine on my own, thank you, and Kaoru is a perfectly trustworthy person!"

I blinked, unsure of what to say, and tried to appear indifferent. His words hurt, but not as much as what came next.

"Sometimes, you're no better than our overprotective, anxious mother!" And with that, he stormed out.

The door slammed. It rattled through me, which was just adding salt to the wound. Emil's last words about our mother cut me like daggers and left me breathless. I needed to remind myself to breathe. Was I that bad?

Maybe I wasn't such a good older sibling as I liked to believe I was.

Slowly, I headed back upstairs, shaking with hurt and disbelief. No other insult was worse than being compared to our wretched mother. I texted Matthias about a change of plans; I was staying home. I didn't feel like going out anywhere feeling like this. Amazing how suddenly moods can shift, isn't it? About a minute later, I got a response. _Okay, I'll just come over to yours, then!_

I locked my door, hugging my knees in the center of my bed. So much pain. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Bullshit.

I hadn't felt this much hurt since…how long? Since before coming to America? That was a little more than a decade ago.

I felt like an overfilled cup, ready to spill over. There was only one solution for situations like this. Taking in a shaky breath, I slid off the bed and rustled through some drawers. I moved my hand to the topmost left corner of the socks drawer; my small metal cookie tin, empty of course, was still there.

My Pandora's box, my treasure chest. The place where I kept my biggest secret. I hadn't touched the contents for years now, but it looked like that was about to crumble.

Sliding the socks out of my way, I fished the tin from its hiding place, removing the lid. Inside were three pretty little razors, sleeping and safe from the dangers of intrusive people finding out.

Pushing the sleeve of my thin sweater up, I gazed down at the scars trailing up my left arm. They resembled faded pink and beige tendrils climbing upwards, trying to escape their roots. Gently, I caressed them. Was I really going to do this?

The answer was yes.

With a breath possibly shakier than the last, I selected my tool and made a two-inch cut over top of the old ones. Then I did it again, dragging the blade across. Red paths of blood curled up after the razor. My razor was my pencil, my skin was my paper, and my scars were my stories.

As soon as the deed was done, the tidal wave of guilt and depression momentarily subsided. The blood started migrating down my arm, about to drip on the floor. Quickly, I took a wad of tissue paper and pressed it against my pulsing cuts.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Great. Did Matthias _have _to come so early? I put my stoic mask on, trying not to show how panicked I was through the cracks. The injuries had stopped bleeding, so I stuck some Band-Aids on them, shoved my sleeve back down, and flew down the stairs. Out of breath, I opened the door. "Sorry about that," came my winded apology.

"No problem, Luke," Matthias singsonged. "Everything alright?"

_No. _"Of course."

I pulled the door open wider to let him in, relieved to have escaped suspicion. But how much longer would it be till he found out?


	4. Chapter 4: Confession

**A/N: Sorry if you noticed that one weird little mistake in chapter 1, where it won't let me put a period and stuff. I can't fix it somehow, I think I made that mistake in Microsoft Word ^^;; Just ignore that, I'll try not to have it occur anymore. Anyways, I don't own Hetalia, and here's Chapter 4! Enjoy the cuteness of Den and Nor :3**

**Confession: **Noun; An admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that one is ashamed or embarrassed about.

I sat on top of the ragged plateau as the warm summery air stirred my hair. Finals were beginning next week. How nice it would be to finally escape school stress, and spend more time with Matthias.

The pink lines on my wrists peeked out from beneath the refuge of my sweater sleeves. But who was I to care; I was the only one here. It had taken a bit, but after further exploring the park nearby my house, there was quite the nice thinking spot deeper inside.

Sighing, I flopped onto my back, hitting the soft ground with a muffled _thud._ My eyes tried to take in the entire ocean of sky at once, causing them to sting. I replayed the conversation with Emil that had happened a few days ago in my head.

_"You like him, don't you?"_

_ "What are you talking about?" _I had nearly spit out my coffee.

_"I'm talking about Matthias. Who else?"_

_ "I do not have feelings for that fool."_

_ "Oh, come now, brother. It's pretty obvious. Besides, you've been best friends for a long time now, right? It was bound to happen sometime. So just admit it." _Emil said this so nonchalantly, as if it were a fact of life that people fell in love with their best friends. Perhaps it was.

_"…"_ At this point, I had gotten up to walk away from the truth. Another remarkably short conversation between my brother and I.

I lackadaisically threw a single arm over my eyes. It was true, wasn't it? _I've fallen in love with Matthias_. There was no way he'd return the feelings, though-that much I knew. And I also knew why. My sleeve had slipped down when I laid my arm on my face, causing the sun to shine down on my fresh scars like a spotlight. They burned with exposure.

Thinking back also to how Emil had connected my behavior with our mother's, I felt a little sad again. Poofy little dandelions and cotton bounced through the air in slow motion. As a child, I used to call them "fairy dresses". Ah, memories.

Why not let myself reminisce? I sat up on the ground and crossed my legs, staring out at the vast sight of houses and buildings stretched out miles away. A few dots of greenery here and there. This was a good lookout spot, too. I remembered back to my home in Scandinavia; I used to hoist little Emil up onto my back so he could see the water separating Norway and Denmark. For just a moment, I could again feel his small shape on my back, his breathless squeals of "I can see it," and his minuscule hands clutching my shoulders.

When he was a kid, Emil loved being held. So had I-I still do. Maybe he'd developed it from me? Suddenly, a twinge of longing pulled at my heart. I wanted to be held. The only real affection I got had been from little Emil, my Finnish cousin Tino and his Swedish buddy Berwald, and of course Matthias. Over the years, though, the warm feeling in my heart from knowing for sure that I was loved deteriorated. I began to doubt myself severely.

Absentmindedly, I plucked a stray dandelion out of the wind's grasp. I twirled it around in my fingers for a few seconds, recalling that you were supposed to make a wish and then blow the dandelion out. Who came up with that presumption?

Nonetheless, I closed my eyes, already knowing what to wish for. _I wish Matthias would love me. _I sounded like some lovesick schoolgirl.

Opening my eyes again, I let out a breath to try and dislodge the seeds from the stem. I watched, mildly fascinated, as they separated and drifted through the headlong breeze.

It would be nice to drift away.

Thoughts of death tugged at the darker corners of my mind, pulling open the seams and crawling through. I started listing ways. _Overdose, drowning, bullet, jumping off a building… _I mean, it wasn't as if I was terribly needed in this bitter world.

A crashing sound was heard from the bushes. It sounded like someone fell. I heard a loud curse in a familiar voice. Lying back down on my back, I sighed. His presence would just tantalize me further.

"Luke, where have you been?" Matthias demanded, more worried than angry. "I called so many times and you never picked up your phone. Are you okay?"

I exhaled softly. "I'm fine. I've been here the whole time." Inwardly, I laughed at that phrase. _I'm fine. _It had such an unpleasant taste on my tongue; the taste of a lie I wish was true.

Slowly, Matthias settled down next to me. "I know you better than that, Lukas." His voice took on a serious tone. "You've been acting really weird lately."

"Yes, I have been." No point trying to deny it anymore. Matthias looked a bit taken aback at my response.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Maybe I should just confess. We could still be friends if he rejected me, right?

I stared at his waiting eyes, which were fixed on me, cadet blue on azure blue. No going back now.

"I'm tired of holding this inside my head. Matthias, I think-no, I _know_-I love you."

Without waiting to see his expression or hear his response, I stood up and darted away. _What was I thinking?_ I ran and ran and ran. _He's going to be repulsed. _One, two, three more blocks. _I'm so embarrassed. _Keep going, Lukas, go home. _I want to die._ Home is safe.

As soon as I reached my destination, out of breath, I fumbled with the lock and burst inside. Emil was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up at me strangely, but before he could ask what was wrong, I raced up the stairs as if a demon was on my trail.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I kept repeating that single word in my head. I was such a hypocrite, always calling Matthias the fool; _I _was the real fool here. Grabbing my special metal tin, I locked myself in the bathroom connecting my room and Emil's. Time to drown this guilt and humiliation.

I heard my phone ringing in the distance, but it was too far away for me to care. For a dull moment, I briefly wondered if Emil would come up here and look for me. Already I was picking my blade and drawing new lines on my unfortunate left arm. Before long, it was done and I disposed of all evidence. Hanging my head in shame, I tried to push away the reality that tomorrow I'd have to face Matthias at school.

~~_Page Break_~~

I slammed the door of my locker shut, feeding the lock through the hole properly. So far, I'd managed to avoid running into the Dane all day. I intended to keep it that way.

Right, next class. World History.

Turning around, I bumped into someone's chest. "My bad," I apologized, looking up to find…

…Matthias.

My mouth went dry. What was I to say?

"Lukas," he began sternly. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the stairs that led to the building's roof. I climbed them messily, trying to keep up with his brisk pace.

I felt like a little kid who was about to be scolded. My face burned. We reached the roof and sat down.

"No one will bother us here," Matthias explained. Then he sighed. "I wanna ask you about what you told me yesterday."

I swallowed. "What about it?"

"You said you love me, right?" he confirmed, peering at me closely.

I tried to appear annoyed, to cover up my nervousness. "Yes, I did. I suppose you're going to reject me now."

Matthias seemed to ponder this for a moment, and then smiled. It was the widest smile I'd ever seen on him, by far-and he has quite the large grin. His next move surprised me.

He leaned forward, closing the space between us, and brought his lips down onto mine. My eyes widened in shock. I couldn't bring myself to respond; surprise and pleasure and love fizzed up inside of me, a martini of happiness. Shakily, I placed both my hands on either side of his face, allowing him to explore my mouth with his tongue. We broke away gasping for air, the thin strand of saliva falling.

Pure affection flooded the Dane's eyes. "I love you right back, Luke."


	5. Chapter 5: Interruption

**A/N: Here's Chapter 5, sorry for the wait! Got a bit swamped by all my homework, urgh. As always, I do not own Hetalia. Enjoyyy ^u^**

** Interruption: **Noun; An event or action that breaks the continuity or uniformity of another.

_"Luke," the Dane purred as he pushed me down onto the soft bed. I sank into it, under the weight of his passionate kisses. Letting the smallest of moans escape my lips, I tangled my fingers into his spiky golden hair. I shivered; I could feel his mouth and hands all over me. Down my jawline, neck, chest, thighs. Somehow in our fervent lust, we'd managed to messily get our clothes off. _

_ A flash of shock and pleasure shot through me as Matthias reached out to stroke my…special area. "Hnn…" I whimpered. I wanted more._

_ "Patience is a virtue, Lukie," Matthias murmured. His fingers moved down further, forever teasing me. I kept crying out, trying to tell him how good this felt. But as soon as I opened my mouth, everything shattered._

I shot up in bed, panting and looking around. My eyes took a while to get used to the darkness. As my pulse calmed down, I checked to make sure no one else was in my bed. Nope, just me. The only remaining evidence of my dream was a rather noticeable, embarrassing tent in my boxers.

Shaking my head violently to chase away my blush, I silently questioned myself.

It was only yesterday that Matthias revealed he felt the same way about me; I could barely believe it. I suppose I just fell for some certain people easily. Maybe we'd even go out, who knows?

Inwardly, I smacked myself. I was moving ahead way too quickly. Glancing at my alarm clock, I realized I was going to be late to school if I didn't hurry the hell up.

I started to jump out, then stopped. Skipping one day wouldn't be bad, right?

It was silent downstairs. Emil must have already left, probably with that Kaoru kid. Pulling out my phone, I texted Matthias. "_Skipping school today, don't freak." _Yawning, I pocketed said device and wandered downstairs to fix myself some breakfast.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I munched on a pastry and checked my phone again. Matthias had replied. _"Okay, then I'm ditching too! Be at your house soon!"_

I facepalmed at this. _Idiot, what is he thinking?_

He stayed true to his word-about 25 minutes later, I heard a loud knocking on my door. Getting up and enjoying a sweet stretch, I padded over to the entrance and opened up for him.

"Lukas!" he practically yelled, throwing himself around me in a hug. With my face smushed into his shirt, at least he couldn't see my reddened face.

"Hello to you too," I managed to get out.

The Dane headed straight for the hot coffee maker, already grabbing a mug and pouring himself some. "So what's the deal?"

I was confused. "Huh?"

He sat down across from me at the table, taking a swig of caffeine. "Why'd you skip today?"

Shrugging, I sort of slumped in my seat. "Dunno…I just didn't feel up to it today."

Matthias pouted. "You're not too depressed or anything to have me over, right?"

I exhaled, looking away. "No, no, you're fine."

A smile reappeared on his face. "Good! Then my mission is to cheer you up," he decided. I just snorted.

_I wonder if I'm supposed to ask him to be my boyfriend…or would he ask? Too much suspense. Ack, what am I thinking?! Snap out of it Lukas. _These thoughts just refused to go away. I tried not to let the inner turmoil show on my face.

My thought flow was interrupted, though. "Hey Luke, what's that?" Matthias asked, pointing to my arm.

I froze. _Shit. _In my moment of thinking, I had ignorantly let my sleeve slip down. Some of my scars were in full view. Matthias's eyes widened as he realized just what they were. Quick as lightning, I hid my marred arm beneath the table. "I-it's nothing," I stammered. But the damage was already done.

Matthias's eyes softened. "Show me." I don't know whether it was the tone, the look in his eyes, or the fact that I was just so damn tired of hiding, but I gave up and let everything fall.

Slowly, I stood up and walked over to the couch, collapsing on it. Matthias followed me, sitting down as well. I held out my arm limply, and looked away as he pushed up the sleeve. Guilt was flaring up inside me.

Railroad tracks of pink and red and brown, making their way across my entire arm. My other arm was no better. I showed him that side, too. All these scars, holding years of pain and suffering inside of them. Each one of them told a different story but had the same core. It was just a mess of blurred lines.

I couldn't tell what kind of expression Matthias was displaying. "Oh, Lukas," he murmured. "Why?"

Gulping, I responded with the only answer that came to mind. "The better question is, why not?"

Matthias gripped my hands tightly, as if his life were endangered, and trained his eyes onto mine. "Listen here, okay? I love you, and I'm not going to let you keep doing this." I blinked rapidly, appalled and trying to take in what he was saying. "I want you to try and stop. For me," he finished.

I looked down at my ugly arms. "How can you still love me after you've seen me like this?" I questioned.

Matthias titled my chin up, forcing me to look at him again. Shame coursed through me. "I just do," he responded seriously. "Really, Luke, you expect me to just walk away when you're like this? No, I'm not gonna do that, I'm not that kind of person. I love you Lukas, I really love you. Believe me." With that, he bent down and gently kissed the scars littering both limbs.

I couldn't help it. As much as I didn't want to, I started crying. Tears made their way down my bright cheeks, turning me into an ugly sob-wrecked mess. When was the last time anyone had shown concern this genuine? Matthias pulled me close to him, stroking my hair and murmuring softly. "Shh, Lukas," came the whisper near my ear. "It's okay, stop crying. I'm here."

All I could do was nod into his chest. When I finally calmed down, I stretched up and placed a kiss onto his lips. I wanted him to fill me with life, so this sorrow of mine could thaw. And I had a feeling that was exactly what would happen.

~~_Page Break~~_

I awakened with confusion, looking around blearily at my surroundings. Second time waking up today. Shouldn't I be in school? Then it came back to me: Matthias and I had skipped. A secret had been unintentionally revealed. And he still loved me.

_Guess I fell asleep while he was comforting me, _I thought, realizing I had was lying down on the couch. After countless nights of not being able to sleep well-living on 4 to 5 hours does things to a person-taking midday naps felt good. Even if the configuration for this situation was quite unexpected. Then again, ever since I'd found Matthias, a lot of things in life had become unexpected.

"Finally awake?" called a familiar voice; one that belonged to a certain Dane.

"I suppose I am," I responded apathetically, looking up at his approaching figure.

I didn't have time to anticipate his next move. With a mischievous grin, he pinned me down on the couch. My eyes widened in shock and I tried to break free. "What are you doing?!" I spat, more bewildered than angry.

"Keeping my promise to try and cheer you up!"

It couldn't be. Was he thinking of…_No, Lukas_, I scolded myself. _Don't think such things._ Whatever hopes I had of _that _shattered as he began tickling my sides.

Struggling not to laugh, I feebly tried to push his arms away. But he was much stronger than I was. "S-stop that, you idiot!" I stuttered.

"Not until I make you laugh!" Matthias declared, continuing to poke my ribs and now, my neck. It was too much to handle. I burst out laughing, still twisting from side to side.

"Okay, okay," I conceded between gasps. "I give in!"

As my body shook with a few last giggles-don't you dare think I'm girly-Matthias finally ceased the torture. "Mission accomplished," he said cockily, a smirk forming on his lips.

I tried my best to glare at him, but it didn't exactly work with the smile that was stuck on my face. "Annoying Dane."

"Come now, you know you liked it," he teased, bending down closer to me. Since I was pretty much immobilized beneath him, I wiped that smirk off his face with a kiss.

He trapped me further by putting both hands behind my head, lifting me up towards him. In response, I straddled him with both my legs. The kiss only grew deeper, and we both refused to break away until we felt we'd die from lack of air. We were addicted to each other. It was times like these, in private, where I wasn't afraid to do things like this.

"Hey, Luke?" Matthias asked, still panting. "Can I ask you something before we go further?"

Being an impatient person and wanting more, I nodded. "Shoot."

"Will you be my lover?"

I found myself petrified. This was the moment I'd been waiting for, wasn't it? So why couldn't I just chirp out a "yes"?

To show him my answer, I pulled him down by the collar of his shirt into another kiss, letting my tongue dominate this time. That was enough to let Matthias know that I gladly accepted.

It seemed my dream from this morning was coming true. My newfound lover started planting kisses along my neck and collarbones, like seeds, and hickeys bloomed. I could care less about the marks, though. Reaching up, I fumbled with trying to get Matthias's shirt off. He paused for a moment and helped me, pulling it off himself quickly. His chest was quite toned-then again, he was the athletic type. Amazed, I ran a hand down his torso. It contrasted with my body-skinny and feminine.

Matthias pulled off my sweater. I loved how he wasn't disgusted or put off or anything by the abundance of scars on me. He just kept leaving tiny lovebites all over my chest, leaving me mewling for more.

He was just about to remove my jeans when I heard the door opening. Both of us froze, looking up at the sound. Emil walked in.

The three of us just stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, Emil spoke. "I'm just…going to pretend I never saw that," he concluded in a somewhat disturbed tone. And then he fled upstairs, roses forming in his cheeks.

Matthias turned back to me with a hangdog expression. I guess I wasn't the only one who'd wanted it. Feeling a bit guilty, I patted his cheek. "Now just isn't the right time and place," I conceded, sitting upright and pulling my disheveled clothing back on.

We assumed a normal position on the couch-although we were both still relatively tousled-with me snuggling into Matthias's side. Embarrassment wasn't crawling up inside me like vines this time. Unfortunately though, not long after that Matthias had to return home. It was about time to start studying for finals, after all. No fooling around.


	6. Chapter 6: Favor

**A/N: And now…*drumroll*…Chapter 6! A little shorter this time, but forgive me ;u; AS ALWAYS, I don't own Hetalia. So sit back and enjoy the DenNor, and don't forget to read/review!**

** Favor:** Noun; An act of kindness beyond what is due or usual.

Summer was within reach, almost able to be grasped by the fingers of desperately overjoyed students. Today was the day of my PE and History finals. Fortunately for me, my skin was very weak against the sunlight, so I got to skip the PE final. The piercing sunlight was swallowing up my head, blurring my vision and making my stomach turn tricks. I guess I hadn't gotten used to the summers in America quite yet.

I sat on the bench, arms loosely holding my aching tummy. The only other person sitting out was Toris. The poor guy had had his fingers broken by crazy Natalia. He really should find someone else to dote on.

Technically, I should've retreated to the cool interior of the school building, but my eyes were drawn to Matthias. His tank top stuck to him, outlining a toned chest. I tried to tell myself it was only the heat making my face flushed. The Dane glanced over at me, waving. I gave him a tiny wave back in response, which only made the wattage of his grin multiply. I could also hear, in the background, that Hungarian girl Eliza tittering with her Taiwanese friend…Mei, was it? Figures.

How much longer till the final was over? As much as I longed for cool air, I refused to budge from my spot. Thankfully, after each final we got a 2-hour break.

As soon as everything was over, I remained seated and waited for the mob of people to pass. Matthias jogged up to me. "Do I get a hug?" he inquired, arms outstretched.

Wrinkling my nose, I scooted away. "Take a shower first , please."

With a childish pout, the blonde Dane dropped his arms. "Fine, then this will have to do!" He leaned forward quickly and pecked me on the cheek, then walked away smirking. _How dare he leave me flustered like this!_ I thought, cheeks flaming. Eliza and Mei were squealing in the distance.

Time for a good long break, and then my History final. Oh, how I wished school would just end already.

_~~Page Break~~_

Setting my pencil down triumphantly, I arranged the papers in a neat pile on my desk. Finally, my History final was over. I'm not much of a braggart, but I think I did pretty well on it. Most of what we covered was on, ironically, Scandinavia, a section I was knowledgeable in. So it wasn't that bad.

The teacher, sensing that most everyone was done, stood up. "As you all know, during the second week of summer there will be a special school trip to Japan," she announced. "You all received forms in advance. If you wish to go, sign them and be sure to enclose some money. They are due tomorrow; I will be here waiting until 4 P.M. Everyone gets one roommate-stick to the same gender, please. The trip will last for a week." She looked as if she was about to add something more, but the bell rang at that moment, making everyone jump out of their seats eagerly. "Have a good summer, you lot!" she called out teasingly.

History was the one class I didn't have with Matthias. I turned to my Japanese friend, Kiku. "You planning on going?" I asked.

He nodded, dull brown eyes glimmering with excitement. "Of course I am, it is my country."

We walked to our lockers, which were coincidentally right next to each other. "So…what's Japan like?" I wondered aloud. My guess was it would be nothing like Northern Europe.

Kiku stopped fiddling with his lock, turning towards me to give an answer. A smile broke out on his small face. "It's just amazing," he responded. "The scenery, the culture, the food…everything. And of course, the legends."

"The legends?" I piped up curiously. Ever since childhood, I had been a sucker for myths, legends, fairytales, and folktales of any kind.

"Yes. My favorite one in particular is called _Akai Ito, _or Red Thread. The legend says that the gods tie a red string around the little fingers of those destined to meet. Romantic, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is. Huh, interesting."

I waved goodbye to the Asian, promising to try and spend time with him over the summer.

Out of nowhere, Matthias appeared. He had a talent for showing up at unexpected moments. "Are you going on the Japan trip?" the Dane asked bluntly.

I pursed my lips in thought. "Maybe. Not sure yet."

Matthias's face lit up, as if having obtained an idea. And that usually wasn't a good thing. "Why don't I pay for both of us to go on the trip?" he suggested. "It doesn't cost that much!"

I looked at him, keeping my bland expression on. "There's no way I can let you go to such an extent," I objected.

"Oh come on, Lukie! It'll be like our first official date!" he offered enticingly.

"Well…" I considered, wavering. I tried to say no, but I remembered that legend Kiku had told me about. Perhaps it was true? Sighing, I gave in. "Alright, alright. But only because you won't stop pestering me about it."

"Yesss!" Matthias exclaimed, fist pumping the air. He slung an arm around my shoulders happily. "This won't let ya down, I promise!"


	7. Chapter 7: Climax

**A/N: Almost done, one more chapter to go! I love writing drunk!Norway. I hope you enjoy this one..hehe..I don't own Hetalia. Read and review, please! *****rolls away***

** Climax: **Noun; The most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.

I really couldn't thank the Danish fool enough for this.

We were standing with about a little more than half the school's amount of students in the Narita airport. Kiku's eyes were shining brightly, probably because he was ecstatic to be visiting his home country again. Somehow, I felt a little homesick.

Our hotel was close to the airport, so the teacher led us all there, carrying and rolling our baggage. We checked in, and quickly dashed off to find our reserved rooms. Matthias had, without my consent, placed both of us together as roommates. I tried to tell myself that I didn't like it, but I knew that I did.

With an overdone flourish, Matthias opened up the door to our room. "Whoa, it's so cool in here!" he shouted with excitement, like a child getting a puppy for the first time.

The room _was _quite nice. All done in blues and whites, with plenty of space and comfortable furniture. There was only one bed, though…I looked away, deciding to save those thoughts for later. There was unpacking to be done.

I tried to step around the tall Dane and into the hotel room, but he stopped me. "No way, Luke," he scolded, waggling a finger at me. "I'm gonna carry you in."

"Why?" I scoffed. "I'm not hurt or sick or disabled."

"To practice for when we get married!" I could tell he was maybe only half joking. In a flash, he had me scooped up bridal style into his arms, with me clinging to him so I wouldn't fall. I didn't really have a choice. The Dane proceeded to carry me into the room, setting me down gently on the fluffy bed. I sat like an obedient kid, crisscrossing my legs in the style that children learned during the kindergarten years.

I relaxed in that position for a bit, letting Matthias unpack the bags. He seemed more than happy to do so. _I guess I should say thank you, _I realized. Sliding off the bed hesitantly, I walked over to him. "Hey…Matthias?"

He stopped messing around with his luggage for a moment and looked over his shoulder at me. "What's up?"

I gave him a shy hug from behind. "Thanks," I said.

Grinning, Matthias twisted around to pat my pale blonde head. "No problem, Lukie. Don't forget that I love you."

My responding words got stuck in my throat, so all I did was peck him on the cheek to show him I meant the same.

The sightseeing was supposed to begin tomorrow morning, so for now I was content to relax and recover from mild jet lag. While Matthias kept on, I went to go take a shower.

_~~Page Break~~_

Wrapping a dry white towel around my waist, I held the door slightly ajar, peeking out to see if Matthias was still there. He was gone, presumably to go buy a drink or something. Darting out to the dresser as nervously as a fawn, I rifled through and grabbed some boxers and a tank top. Quickly, I dropped the towel and pulled up the boxers, then slid the top on over my torso.

Shaking my head to clear the last droplets, I returned to the humid bathroom to grab a hairbrush. I dragged it through my semi-curly locks, trying to avoid that one perpetually curled tuft of hair near the nape of my neck. Touching it was the equivalent of touching myself. Yes, in _that _way.

With one final look into the fogged up mirror, I went back outside into the bedroom, face still flushed from the hot water. By now Matthias was back, and he glanced up as I walked in.

"Guess I came back at a good moment," he joked.

I only rolled my eyes. "You idiot, I just want to sleep."

That stupid grin still stuck on his face nonetheless, even as he retreated to the bathroom to go take his own shower. I climbed into the huge bed. The cool covers were like mounds of snow, swallowing me up and smelling of fresh linen. Getting comfortable was no problem. I settled in, although I didn't fall asleep immediately.

About 30 minutes later, Matthias climbed in too. "Good night, Lukie~" he murmured, petting my hair softly.

I rolled over to face him, allowing him to continue. At some point we both fell asleep, legs entangled.

_~~Page Break~~_

I awoke to the shrill sound of my phone's alarm clock. Reaching over blindly, I pressed a button and turned it off. Today was going to be the first official day of our Japan trip, and I was pretty enthused. To a certain degree. Although Matthias definitely displayed it more.

We (Matthias) jumped out of bed and got dressed, making sure to eat breakfast too. Heading out the door with lightweight backpacks, we went to go meet up with the rest of the group at the front of the hotel.

"Alright, today's schedule is as follows: we will go see a few museums and then bathe and eat at a local onsen," the tour guide who was waiting with everyone explained.

Matthias piped up right then. "What's an onsen?" he questioned.

Our History teacher turned to us. "An onsen is basically a natural hot springs. They're very warm, relaxing, and good for your skin, I hear," she answered, glancing at the guide for confirmation. He nodded. "Don't get grossed out or embarrassed about this, but you go in naked. Please do be mature about this."

Matthias looked at me from the corner of his eye, and gave me a wink. I just sighed in exasperation, poking him sharply in the rib.

_~~Page Break~~_

The onsen house really was a very appealing place. From the other places we'd visited today, I could see why Kiku was so proud of his ethnicity. Japanese architecture was so intricate, as was the artwork. Everything held beauty and grace. Even Matthias was in awe. This bathhouse had everything convenient; a food court with delectable cuisine, rooms to get massages in or take naps in, a garden of pebbles and water and trees outside.

I sat in the heated water, breathing in the cool air. It smelled of nature and incense. Matthias had been with me earlier somehow he'd disappeared, promising to be back with a "treat". I feared what that could be.

Sliding down further into the silken water, I heard the sliding doors open, heralding the return of the Dane. He was carrying a bottle of…sake?

"You idiot," I hissed as he got back in. "Did you steal that?"

He flashed me his trademark grin. "You know it! Figured we could use a little celebratory alcohol."

"You'll come up with any excuse to drink, won't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

I hugged my knees to my chest in the water. As much as I wondered what sake would taste like, I needed to resist it. I wouldn't indulge in more of my partner's foolish shenanigans.

He took a direct swig from the bottle, keeping his eyes on me. I was about to shake my head no when he held it out to me, eyes bright.

"Please? You're gonna love it," he pleaded.

_Gonna get in so much trouble for this. _Acquiescing once again, I grasped the bottle and brought it to my lips. The liquid flowed down my throat, tasting of tang and sweetness and bitterness at the same time. It was…new. Placing the bottle on the smooth ground beside me, I wiped my mouth. "I guess it's good," I said begrudgingly. My face was already feeling a bit warm. I wasn't very good with drinks. Matthias, on the other hand, had at least a semi-good tolerance for alcohol.

Receiving more encouraging looks from said man, I took a few more gulps of the sake. By now my vision had started to grow a little blurry, and I could feel the blush hotly staining my cheeks like paint. Alcohol really took you over. I glanced over at Matthias cutely. "Hey~" I drawled, wading through the water to go sit lightly on his lap. He glanced at me with surprise. "You look really drunk-"

I cut him off right there, pressing my lips against his in the most passionate kiss both of us had ever shared. He slid his arms around my waist, reclining against the rocks. I ran my hands all over his chest, still making out with him very roughly. Just the way I liked it.

I could feel his erection, hot against my stomach. Smirking at how aroused he was, I reached under the water to grab it. He gasped in pleasure. Giving him a lusty look, I pumped it vigorously, up and down. His moans were like music to my ears. I wanted him to feel amazing, and at the same time I really wanted to feel it, too. Letting go of Matthias's member, which elicited a disappointed groan from Matthias, I pressed a finger against his lips to silence him. "This will be much better," I promised. Taking a deep breath, I positioned myself over him. No going back now; I was ready.

I plunged down on him, taking him in entirely. "Ahhn.." I moaned, shivering at the feel of his length inside me. "F-finally…"

Holding on to his broad shoulders, I began moving, rocking my hips up, down, and over again. "Ngh," Matthias muttered, synchronizing his movements with mine. We met at the perfect moments, sending jolting waves of ecstasy throughout my body. After a while, I felt him explode inside me, and I came as well. The water around us slowly turned a milky white. "Oops," I giggled, still uncharacteristically drunk.

Matthias was still panting when he stretched forward to capture me in another kiss, full of love. "I love you, Lukas," he said.

Smiling, I playfully traced circles on his cheek. "Same here, Dane."

After that, I blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8: Fate

**A/N: Agfhejfhddgfjdk sorry if this chapter seems rushed, there are other fanfics I desperately want to start on ouo;; I am so tired, it's freakin' 5:30 AM where I am. Welp. Enjoy this crap if you can! Hetalia is not mine. Read/Review..c:**

** Fate: **Noun: The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

I woke up groggily, remembering everything that had happened yesterday. Hadn't I been in this situation several times already?

So that was why my lower back ached so much. Face burning, I pressed it back into my pillow. Matthias poked the small of my back, knowing I was awake. After a few seconds, I faced him. "Yes?"

"Last night was freakin' awesome."

This only-to my dismay-made my face turn redder. "Sh-shut up. I bet we got in trouble, didn't we?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Actually, I managed to get you redressed and convince everyone that you'd fallen asleep thanks to the heat while bathing. They bought it. I'm the master of covering tracks," Matthias boasted, smirking.

"Fair enough," I said, too tired to argue and leaving it at that.

_~~Page Break~~_

_(and Timeskip to the last day of the trip~)_

"This, everyone, is known as the Itsukushima Shrine," the guide explained, gesturing.

We had just gotten off the cruise ship that led us around the large red gate, and were now standing on the island shrine. Lion-dog statues were everywhere, as were religious symbols.

"So much to see, huh, Lukie?" Matthias said in wonderment.

I just nodded, wondering what to look at first. Luckily, that was quickly solved. The guide led us over to a washbasin, telling us to wash our hands. I did so, splashing my hands into the cold water. Then I brought them back out and clapped them twice, as directed to. At the next stop, there were little wooden staffs with white streamers attached to them. After receiving instructions, we took them in our hands and waved them around. Supposedly, it chased off lingering bad spirits.

It was almost time to go. At the last stop, as gifts, we received tiny fabric bags. Inside were pieces of paper with writings that detailed either our good or bad luck, or had a phrase pertaining to our lives.

"Hell yeah!" I heard Matthias exclaim. "I got one about beer!"

I facepalmed, not very surprised. "Only you."

"What did you get, Luke?" he asked, peeking at mine.

I looked down at the slip of paper, and when I saw it, I thought that maybe life wasn't always as bad as I had thought it was so long ago.

"_You are tied by a red string to a significant other_."


End file.
